Casting molten material



- y 934 P. H. mm m. 1.9614163 CASTING MOLTEN MATERIAL Filed April 12,1933 W 7 6 3 3 l 2: 1 J

Patented May 29, 1934 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE CASTING MOLTENMATERIAL I Application April 12, 1933, Serial No. 665,786 In FranceApril 19, 1932 4 Claims.

This invention relates to a method and apparatus for casting metals,alloys and other molten materials.

Metallic ladles, with or without refractory lin- 5 ings, have been usedfor the transitory reception of molten metals and alloys and othermolten materials; such ladles being only receptacles for the handlingand distribution of the materials. Metallic molds for the finalreception of molten materials have also been used; such molds being onlyreceptacles for the solidification of the materials. But the molds areindependent of the ladles and the transfer from one to the other, canonly be efiected slowly through a jet localized at the lip or pouringspout of the ladle.

This slow transfer involves the disadvantages of prematuresolidification in the ladles, rapid distribution of the molds by fusionat the strik- V ing point of the jet and by cracks arising from unequalexpansion, and lack of homogeneity in the ingot due to liquationconsequent upon a necessary excess of temperature at the time of pouriTo these disadvantages may be added an insuflicient stirring of themolten material as well as the costly manipulation of the ladles andmolds.

The invention eliminates the foregoing disadvantages, provides for aperfect mixing before solidification and substantially reduces the costof manipulation. The invention involves the temporary joining of theladle and mold in an invertible ladle-mold system, and has the followingadvantages;

By the temporary provision of a heating vault the relatively thin layerof material in the ladle may 7: effectively heated up and all danger ofpremature solidification avoided.

The molten material is transferred in a very 40 large flowing sheet soas to fill all the molds instantaneously and thus avoid all erosion andirregular expansion.

The molten material may be poured into the mold very close toitssolidification point and thus all appreciable liquation may be avoided.

By providing a temporary housing of suitable form, slag may be separatedfrom the metal before casting.

The invention will be more particularly described for the purpose ofillustration with reference to the accompanying drawing in which:

Figs. 1 and 3 are respectively a section on line 1--1 of Fig. 3 and asection on line 33 of Fig. 1,

representing a ladle-mold ensemble before the. casting operation;

Fig. 2 represents the inverted ladle-mold ensemble after inversion;

Fig. 4 represents a modification of the invention providing for theremoval of slag and the like; and

Fig. 5 represents a modification of the invention providing for theretreating of the molten .material in the mold.

In Figs. 1 to 3, l is a semi-cylindrical ladle,

carried in chassis 2 by means of trunnions 3 which permit the inversionof the ladle by means of crank 4, the motion of which is reduced bygearing 5. After the molten material has been placed in the ladle a coldset of molds 7 is placed over the ladle and tightly secured thereto bybolts 8, so that when the ensemble is inverted the molds will receive,all at once, the molten material, which solidifies immediately. To thisend it is advantageous that the mass of the mold be greater than themass of molten material. It may be, for example, five times as great.

This method of operation avoids all premature solidfication in theladle, does not subject the mold to erosion by a jet of molten materialor to inequalities of temperature, and avoids all separation byliquidation because of the rapid solidification.

45% ferrosilicon cast in this manner is indefinitely stable and does notundergo any spontaneous powdering; 80% ferrosilicon cast in this waydoes not show a greater difference than 1.5% between the top and bottomof the ingot, while the usual difference is 8 to 10%.

In the embodiment shown in Fig. 4 a supporting frame 9 is superposed onthe ladle before the charge is placed therein. Thereafter a mixture ofmetal 6 and slag 10 is placed in the ladle. After solidification oi theslag, which takes place, for example, a half-hour before thesolidification of the metal, the solidified slag may be removed togetherwith the supporting frame. Thereafter the mold may be secured to theladle as described above and the already described inversion and castingproceeded with. By this means, metals accompanied by slag may be readilycast in the new device. For example, cast iron, ferromanganese,ferro-aluminum, and ferrophosphorus and the like may be efiectivelyhandled in the described manner.

In the modification shown in Fig. 5, a heating vault 11 is superposed onthe ladle containing the material to be cast. The heating vault isprovided with electrodes 12 or oil burners or other suitable heatingmeans. In this way material threatened with premature solidificationcontent having a variation of composition less than 2%,non-disintegrating mangana-silicon containing over 26% of silicon,ferromanganese of 72 to 100% manganese content free from slag, and castalumina containing to A1203 without an appreciable coeflicient ofexpansion.

We claim:

1. Apparatus for casting molten materials comprising a ladle, asupporting frame adapted to be superposed on said ladle and provide aremovable extension of the walls of said ladle, a mold member adapted tobe superposed in an inverted position on said ladle interchangeably withsaid supporting frame, means for tightly securing said mold member tosaid ladle, means rotatably supporting said ladle, and means forrotating said ladle about said supporting means.

2. Apparatus for casting molten materials comprising a ladle, a vaultmember adapted to be superposed on said ladle, heating means associatedwith said vault member, a mold member adapted to be superposed in aninverted position on said ladle interchangeably with said vault member,means for tightly securing said mold member to said ladle, meansrotatably supporting said ladle, and means for rotating said ladle aboutsaid supporting means.

3. A system of apparatus for casting molten materials, comprising aladle invertibly mounted on supporting means, and a set of membersinterchangeably superposable upon said ladle, said set ofinterchangeable members comprising a mold vmember adapted to be securedto said ladle in inverted position, a frame member adapted to provide anextension of the walls of said ladle, and a vault member adapted to besuperposed on said ladle and having heating means associated therewithadapted to supply heat to the contents of the ladle.

4. Method of casting molten materials including a slag, comprisingplacing the mixture of molten material and slag in a ladle provided witha removable extension of the side walls thereof,

hardening the slag by cooling, removing the ex- I tension and thehardened slag, superposing a mold in inverted position on said ladle andinverting the ladle-mold ensemble.

PAUL LOUIS JOSEPH MIGUET. 'MARCEL PAUL PERRON.

